Two many hearts
by AFandomLostInTheEcho
Summary: Xander has always been different. He never wanted anybody else to know just how different he was, but it seems that it's too late for that. BTVS and DW crossover, but mainly BTVS. Hopefully better than I'm making it sound. Not done, will be finished, but let's face it I'm lazy.
1. You callin' me a liar

**Hey guys! So, uh, here's a thing. I've been watching Buffy lately, but taking into consideration I started it four days ago, I'm very obsessed. Mainly with Xander. But I also like doctor who and I feel like I've been neglecting it a bit, so... Set whenever, I guess, but preferably in season 2 before spike is niceish and Anya and faith and stuff because I don't want to write them into this. Sorry. And yes I did make up this creature. Also screw POV's since I kept switching. And also sorry but this has lots 'o dialog. **

"So, this thing has a knack for ripping out peoples hearts, ya?" Xander asked. "It doesn't kill you in any other way unless it's a last resort?" Willow nodded. They were hunting a new creature they've never heard of before, and according to the books, it wasn't very heard of either. It had already killed six people.

Nothing came up on the six-legged creature with a wolf-like face and a dinosaurish vibe coming off of it. It had attacked and cornered him, Buffy, and Willow down at the cemetery when on patrol for the thing. It had held Buffy down with four feet and tried to grab her heart with the other two, but Xander and Willow had stabbed it with their knives(stakes wouldn't penetrate its thick skin) and caused it to stumble off of her. It was really pissed. They had barely made it out alive. Apparently the thing could speak English too, because before it had ran away, it said, 'four hearts and three bodies. Too confusing. You shall be spared.'

"Ya, I guess. It's just that..." Her voice trailed off as it always does when she is thinking and talking at the same time. "Well, you know. 'Four hearts and three bodies?' What did it mean by that? And how are we gonna kill the thing?"

Buffy shrugged, but she too was looking troubled. "Maybe it's a riddle?" She wondered. "Maybe," Willow considered. The room went silent for a while.

"Ah ha!" An older male voice sounded around the room. Giles walked out of his office room, holding a book in one hand and waving the other hand around slightly. "It's a Sikåta. They can be killed by stabbing or deeply slitting its throat. It is capable of speech in any language and understands humans because it has watched humans for billions of years. There are only three in existence, and two have been killed already."

"So it's the last of its kind?" Buffy asked, sitting up straight again. "Thank god."

"This creature is apparently also bent on honesty," Giles continued. "It's never lies and it only attacks humans who are not pregnant, who it has chosen to spare, who are sick, or who are already wounded. It kills for food only, but after awaking from hibernation, the creature cannot tell who is unwell and who is not."

"Well it's good to know were gonna kill something who only wants to live," said Buffy, her tone slightly sarcastic.

"How would tiny little human hearts be enough to fuel that giant body, though?" Willow asked.

"I'm not sure, but apparently it is enough. Right now I get the feeling that it's just dicking around until it can tell the difference between the sick and the pure," Giles guessed. Then he looked at Xander. "Are you all right?" He asked him.

"Huh? Uh, ya, why?" Xander asked, his voice slightly wavy. He cleared his throat, and now Willow and Buffy were looking at him. "Well, you have been rather quiet tonight, only occasionally asking questions, am I wrong?" Giles asked.

"Uhh," Xander slurred. "I'm fine." He told them. Willow narrowed her eyes. "Giles said the word 'dicking' and yet you didn't make any stupid sexual remark. Are you sure you're okay?"

Normally, Xander would defiantly be saying stupid things that he finds amusing yet nobody else does until Giles gets mad at him and normally afterwards. Right now, though, Xander was rather worried and slightly freaked. Worried for himself getting caught. Freaked that he could get caught after all this time. He sat up straighter, trying to look unfazed.

"Guys, I'm fine. Can we just focus on killing the thing?" He asked, his tone slightly pleading, and only Willow seemed to notice.

"Well, I want to know what it meant by 'four hearts and three bodies,'" Buffy announced.

Xander shifted uncomfortably, and Willow stared at him from the corner of her eye suspiciously. "Well, maybe it's a riddle?" Willow repeated their previous guess. "No, that doesn't seem right, the creature cannot lie. Riddles in themselves are lies." Said Giles. "How?" Buffy asked.

"Well, they, they manipulate the truth, which, in a way, is a lie. No, it must have been literal." Giles explained.

"So how do you explain what it said, then?" Willow asked.

"'Four hearts, three bodies'. Maybe it didn't mean human bodies? I mean, some animals have more than one heart, right?" Buffy asked. "Um, I don't think that's what it meant. I think it meant out of us. Also, what animal has more than one heart?" Willow wondered, confused. Buffy waved it off with a hand.

"Not important. What it said is important and killing it is important. So we know how to kill it now, so what did it mean?"

"What does it matter? Seriously, let's just kill the thing and be done with it." Xander spoke up, he tone showing annoyance. Buffy and Willow both glared at him suspiciously. Well, Buffy glared. Willow just kind of stared.

"Wow, Xander. I didn't take you for a kill-and-ditch kind of guy. You sure you okay?" Buffy questioned. Even Giles was looking at Xander funny. Which was funny, because in Xander's perspective, Giles really didn't like him.

"Yes, guys, I'm perfectly intact. I just don't see how figuring out what its non-riddle meant is going to help us." Xander told them, resting his forehead on his hand.

"Well, since Xander is so opposed to finding out what it meant, maybe we should go find the thing and ask it ourselves. Then kill it. Sort of a shoot-first-ask-questions-later thing." Buffy suggested, but it wasn't a suggestion. She was already standing and had grabbed a knife.

"Buffy, there's no need to rush into things. Can't you wait until tomorrow to go rip its throat out?" Giles inquired. Buffy shrugged. "Na, were good to go. Besides, this thing could kill within the night if we don't kill it first. Right, guys?" Buffy looked to her friends. Willow nodded, but Xander looked rather panicky. "Uh... Umm, you know what? I am feeling a bit under the weather, I think I'll stay here." He exclaimed, putting on a fake smile. Willow, however, knew Xander well enough to know that that was a fake smile, and she could see how he looked like a deer caught in headlights. Well, that may have been a slight exaggeration. But Xander did look very cautious, and pretty worried.

"Xander, are you alright?" Giles repeated. He sounded concerned now. The concern Giles was showing for him was still odd to Xander, considering he barely ever showed any kind of interest in Xander's life or seemed to care for him when the researched together. Not like he did for Buffy or Willow, anyways.

"Ya, ya, I'm fine, just feeling a bit sick. I'll wait here for you guys to get back." Xander insisted, and even though Buffy was reluctant, she eventually nodded, and her, Giles, and Buffy started trying to figure out where the Sikåta might have gone by now. Eventually they figured he might be in the forest near Oz's' house, and after Giles and Xander wished them good luck, the girls left to go fight the thing.

"You should be out there with them, you know," Giles scolded lightly. "Are you really alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine, please stop asking me that." Xander requested, but he then realized his response was almost instant. That was an obvious sign that he was not fine. In retrospect, he really wasn't, but he wasn't going to say that. Physically; he was fine. Better then fine, he would even dare to call himself hot. But emotionally; he was scared. When that thing said its non-riddle, Xander knew it was about him. He didn't want to go with them because he thought the thing might explain what he was in front of them. Xander didn't want to know what he was. He felt and looked human, but... He had two hearts. That obviously wasn't normal, right? He had two hearts which isn't anatomically correct and he really, really, really didn't want anybody else to know about it. He didn't want anybody to know he was a freak. He didn't know why he had two hearts, nor what it meant. Did it even mean anything?

He was so confused.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Shhhh!"

"Sorry!" Willow apologized quietly. Buffy and Willow were hunting the Sikåta in the forest, and it was in view, rubbing it's back on a tree and everything. Willow was breathing very loudly though, and it was kind of annoying.

"Think it'll try and kill us?" Buffy wondered, remember how the thing had told them that they would be spared.

"I don't know. I mean, you heard what it told us, right? Somehow we confused it, and it's not on top of its game after hibernating. I'm honestly not sure what it's intentions are." Willow told her.

The Sikåta sniffed the air and sat down on its many legs, then stared right in the direction she and Willow were standing in. "So much for the element of surprise," Buffy breathed out. The creature stared directly at them, unmoving.

_ 'Hello, humans._' The monster growled._ 'No need to hide.' _

Buffy raised her hands in needless surrender, yet her left hand still clutched her sliver knife. She and Willow walked toward the beast.

"Hiya, Sikåta. Lovely weather were having, dontcha think?" Buffy asked the Sikåta. She could have sworn the creature looked pleased by the question. _'So nice of you to ask. And yes, the weather is the the perfect amount of heat, though I could do without the occasional harsh breeze I've been feeling.' _

The beast turned its head to Willow. _'I smell your fear, little red one. Remember, I spared you two and the confusing one. You will not be harmed.'_

"Why?" Buffy asked it. "Why spare us?"

_ 'Because I am confused. The world is so different from what I remember, I've been asleep so long. Who is sick? I can't tell. Who is producing? I can't tell. How many hearts can humans have before they are deemed inhuman? I cannot tell.' _The beast explained. It was surprisingly literate.

"Wait, what do you mean by that last part?" Willow asked it. The creature gazed up at the dark sky._ 'My answer depends on yours. Tell me, How many hearts can a human have before they are deemed_ _inhuman?'_

Buffy and Willow shared worried glances. "One?" Willow answered, her tone slightly doubtful. The beast looked back to them. _'Though this may not be of importance to me, it has drawn my curiosity. So think on this, little humans; yesterday, three humanoids faced me. Yesterday, there were four hearts. Today, two humans face me. Today, there are two hearts. This information is of no use to me, however, but it may be an issue for you. However, you came to kill and question me, and one part of your job is now, so I hope, complete, correct?_'

Buffy tried to spare another glance at Willow, but the red-haired girl had her head bent, confusion and shock clear on her face. Buffy looked back to the monster.

"Y-ya, I guess. So, I guess I've gotta kill you now, huh?" She wondered aloud, twirling her knife around. The beast nodded. _'That is your job. But the thing is... __**I like it here.**_**"**

In one swift moment, the beast jumped to its feet and swiped its long, furry black tail at Willow and Buffy. Buffy had just enough time to jump up and Willow attempted to follow suit, but the tail hit her and slammed her backwards with impeccable force. "Hey, I thought you said you wouldn't kill us!" Buffy shouted at the thing, getting into a fighting stance and looking back over to Willow, who was lying motionless on the floor.

_ 'I didn't lie. Your not dead. I won't kill you, but you will kill me, so harm is necessary.' _

The Sikåta let out a roar and swiped two of its un-seethed paws at Buffy, which would have knocked her over, had she not been the slayer. Instead, when the paws came at her, she stabbed her knife into one of them, causing the Sikåta to screech in pain and retract the two arms. The creature dashed around the tree it was leaning against and ran away. Buffy knew she wouldn't be fast enough to run after it. She ran back to Willow and knelt beside her friend.

"Willow!" Buffy shouted, lightly shaking her friend. "Nugh..." Willow mumbled, trying to curl into herself. "Willow, are you okay?" Buffy pressed, and Willow nodded, her face scrunched up. "Honestly, my back is killing me, but I think I'm good." She slurred her words a bit, but she did seem fine. Buffy slowly helped her up and checked her back over.

"Do you need to go to the hospi-"

"No, no hospital, I'm good, just really, really sore. Wow, that thing really meant it when it said that it was gonna spare us." Willow tried to laugh at her own barely-funny joke, but laughing just hurt her further, so she stopped.

"Willow, leave the non-hysterical jokes to Xander, okay? I'll get you back to the library, then you can rest up and most likely, if he's no longer acting all glossed-over, hear plenty of those from him, ya?" Buffy told her, trying to lighten the mood.

Clearly she failed, because they both went silent.

"Xander." Willow breathed out, her voice quiet. "I think he's the one the Sikåta was talking about."


	2. I ain't callin' you a truther

**I'm officially 14! Cool. Now I can, like, get a job and stuff. Anyways, here you go. Still lots of dialog. My other fanfiction wasn't this talkative, was it? I realize not many people are going to want to read this fanfiction, so I guess this is more for myself than anything. As stated, this is set in season 2, where Xander is dating Cordy and Willow is dating Oz. Also, Angel is 'dead.' You can find some Xander/Willow in here if you squint. Also I did a good majority of this whilst watching ****_The Iron Giant _****and ****_Young Justice_****, so there is most likely going to be errors. So ya. Enjoy? **

Xander was resting his chin tiredly on the library's table and blowing his pencil up and down with his mouth when the girls came back. He shot up and rushed over to them when he saw Willow walking slightly hunched over and being help forwards by Buffy. "Willow, you okay?" He asked, taking her from Buffy and moving her to sit down on the chair that was previously his. "Ya, I'm fine, just gonna have a serious back twitch in the morning," Willow murmured.

"Where's Giles?" Buffy asked, walking over to the table and leaning forwards on it.

"In his office, per usual," said Xander. "Giles!" Xander called out, and a few moments later, the man rushed out his office.

"What is it, what's wrong?" He asked, then saw Willow and Buffy. "Oh, hello, girls. How did the fight with the Sikåta go?"

"Quickly." Said Buffy. "It talked, we questioned, it knocked Willow over, it ran."

"Whatcha talk about?" Xander asked, trying to sound nonchalant. Had the thing told them about him?

Willow and Buffy shared glances. "Um, nothing important, really. Buffy asked at about the weather sarcastically and the Sikåta actually talked to her about it." Willow improvised, mentally patting herself on the back for not completely lying.

"Uh, ya. The thing was really not invested in killing us. Didn't want to, I guess, but then it ran away when it realized that I was going to kill it no matter what." Buffy added.

Xander relaxed a bit. "Huh, so the thing's still alive?"

Wil and Buffy nodded. "Well, that is unfortunate. The best thing we can do now is... Wait for morning, I guess, and hope it doesn't kill anybody else in the meantime." Said Giles ruefully. Buffy and Willow shared looks again before looking down. "Sorry," Buffy apologized, which was answered by Giles' yawn. "No, no don't be. We've uh, just got catch it sooner rather than later. While you were gone, we found out that it lives underground, so our best bet is to check there during the day tomorrow. For now, though, I'm going home. There's nothing else we can do, and it's almost midnight. I'm exhausted, and I'm sure you guys must be tired as well."

Buffy was about to tell him just how awake she was, but Willow's lazy nod and Xander's droopiness made her close her mouth and nod in agreement. "Okay, bedtime then." She said instead. "I better get walking. See you guys in the morning."

"No, no, don't worry about it, I'll drive you guys home." Giles volunteered, fetching his car keys from his pocket. "Thanks," the three said in their own wording, and Xander helped Willow up as they all walked to his car.

"Drop Xander off first," Buffy whispered to Giles as they walked to the car. Giles looked at her in confusion then over to the tired boy who was helping Willow walk as the girl insisted she was fine. They all got into the car, and Xander didn't miss how Willow was kept looking at him from the corner of her eyes weirdly occasionally. Xander was dropped off first, and as soon as he was in his house and Giles had started to drive again, Buffy turned to face Giles who in the driver seat, and Willow leaned forward from where she was in the back of the car.

"Giles, is it possible for a human to have more, than one heart?" Buffy asked unexpectedly. Well, unexpectedly to Giles, anyways. The man stared at her in confusion before turning his eyes back to the road. "What?" He asked, but when Buffy and Willow just continued to stare at him patiently, he sighed tiredly. "U-u-uh, well, no, not that I'm aware of, why?" He asked. Buffy sighed. "Well, what about humanoids? Like, different creatures, but in a human form."

When Giles shrugged in his seat and started stuttering an _uh_ Buffy flopped back in her seat, and Willow skunked back down in hers. "W-what are you asking me this for, and why can't Xander be here for th-" Giles stopped, sitting up straight again like a thought had just occurred to him. "'Four hearts and three bodies,'" Giles breathed out in realization. "You think... Xander has two hearts?" He asked, stunned, and the girls reluctantly nodded. "What, do you mean you think he was born with two hearts, or he isn't Xander?" He asked, and Buffy and Willow shrugged. "We... Don't know what to think. We might even be wrong. Way wrong. But... Well, with what that thing said, and it can't lie, so..."

"What did it say?"

Buffy and Willow both looked rather awkward now. "You had to be there." Said Willow quietly, and Buffy nodded.

Giles sighed. "Well, I'll have to look through my books to see what I can't find on... Whatever this is, if it is, indeed, anything. For now though I suggest leaving Oz and Cordelia out of this discussion. Also, try not to act suspicious around him, or he'll figure something is up." He pulled the car into Willow's house's curb. "Willow, you and Xander have been good friends for the longest time. Has he ever done anything odd in the past or recently that didn't seem normal?"

Willow opened the car door and put her legs out of the car before looking back to Giles. "I don't know. He was acting off in the library before, but that it. Can I think on it?" She asked. Giles nodded, and so she repeated his nod. "Okay. Well, I just really hope that Xander is Xander. That, or were crazy. Bye guys." Willow said before departing the car.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next morning, Xander could tell something had changed. During the classes they had together, Willow and Buffy would stare at him curiously every few minutes or so. Willow a bit more frequently, but then again, that might just be Willow being Willow.

Xander was starting to get worried. What if they found out? Surely they would think he was some kind of shapeshifter or something that took over his body or something. Maybe they were trying to see if he was acting different from his norm.

Different. He wasn't different. Sure, he had two hearts, so what? He was still Xander. He walked and talked like Buffy and Willow, even they held themselves differently and talked about different things. That was normal. _He_ was normal. Although it would be cool if he turned out to be a robot that needed hearts to function but one wasn't enough so that's why he had two. Sadly, he highly doubted that was the truth.

Xander walked up to Cordelia, who was at her locker re-applying her make-up. "Hey Cordy, what's up?" He asked her, looking around to make sure Willow and/or Buffy weren't awkwardly spying on him. "Nothing, really. No vampires have tried to eat my brains out, so that's a plus." She told him, puckering her lips to smudge her lip gloss together.

"Um, I don't think vampires eat brains, but your right about that being a plus." He admitted. He looked around again.

"Okay, your acting jumpy. Everything okay?" She asked him, grabbing her books from her locker and closing its door.

"What?" Xander exclaimed, then gave off a little nervous chuckle. "Oh, um, this might just sound like I'm being paranoid or whatever, but I keep feeling like I'm being watched. By Buffy and Willow."

"Buffy and Willow? Why?"

"I don't know. I just keep feeling like they're staring at me. Maybe I have something in my teeth and they're trying to figure out how to tell me without being rude," Xander guessed. He realized that if they were staring at him, it would be because they knew about his hearts. Then again, maybe he was just being paranoid.

"No, your teeth are fine. Why don't you just go ask them?" She suggested. "Look, I gotta get to class. I'm sure your just being paranoid." She pecked him on the cheek before departing from him and her locker and walking to her class. He stared after her for a moment before heading to class himself.

Xxxxxxxxx

After class, Cordelia was walking to her next one when she spotted Willow heading past her. "Willow!" She called to her, and beckoned her her to move off to the side so they wouldn't be in the way of others. Willow looked reluctant, like she wanted to get to class early or something, but stepped to the side anyhow. "Hey Cordelia. Everything okay?" She asked.

"Ya, everything's fine. No vampires have eaten my brain, so it's all good."

"I... Don't think that vampi-"

"Xander seems a bit on edge though, have you noticed?"

"Xander?" Willow repeated, her attention level spiking. "Well, what do you mean?"

Cordelia shifted her position, quickly glancing at the clock above them to make sure they wouldn't be late. "Well, he came to my locker and said that he felt like you and Buffy were watching him, and he didn't know why. Any reason he would say that?" She asked. It kind of scared Willow how she was using a mother-like tone.

"No, uh, I have no idea." She lies awkwardly, looking at her feet before shooting her head back up. "But I'm going to be late for class here, so..." She started to walk away. "Oh, and, Cordelia? This is probably for no reason at all, but... It might be better if you kept an eye on him too. You know, just in case."

Then Willow left Cordelia standing off to the side in confusion as the bell rang over head.

Xxxxxxxxx

Buffy walked into the school library during her spare class, flopping her bag onto the large, wooden table in the centre of the room. "Hey Giles. Read about anything _multi-hearted_ lately?" She asked, her tone non-chalaunt.

Giles looked up from the book he was reading and stared at Buffy. "Actually, no. I found out about certain creatures with three or more hearts, but none with two. Well, there was one, but it could never take a human form, so..." He closed the book and plopped it on his desk, walking over to the table the slayer was seated at. "Any luck deciding if Xander is Xander?"

Buffy sighed. "So far, Xander seemed pretty Xander-ish. I don't know, maybe it's a condition? Or maybe I've just gone bonkers." She sat up in her seat. "Willow told me that she spoke to Cordelia, who told her that Xander told her that he felt like me and Willow kept watching him."

Giles make a _hmmm_ sound and popped his cheek out like he always did whenever he was thinking. "Well, maybe it's not Xander?"

"What do you mean?"

Giles pulled himself up a chair instead of standing. "Well, maybe it's Willow."

Buffy shook her head. "No. Willow came with me last time to fight the thing. If it was her, we would know."

Giles pulled that face again. "I honestly have no idea then. I mean, I'll keep looking, but... Maybe it would be better if you just ask him."

Buffy stared at him. "Okay. Let's say Xander isn't Xander. If we ask not Xander if it _is _Xander, then were either dead or he's a good liar. If it is Xander, we get a weird reaction. If it's Xander, but a two hearted Xander, then we get an even weirder reaction. Correct?" She clarified, and Giles paused to collect his thoughts. "Well, yes, I suppose so."

Buffy nodded slowly. "Okay. Ya, sure, that'll be an interesting convo. 'Hey Xander, how's school going, say, how many hearts ya got?'"

"Well if you think of anything better, please do share," Giles requested, and Buffy frowned and crossed her arms at that. "Where is the boy anyhow? I thought he had a spare same time as you." Giles asked, staring at the door. "I don't know, maybe he's-" Buffy started, but when the doors to the library swung open and Xander walked in, she stopped herself. "Hey, Xan." She greeted. Giles waved one hand awkwardly, and Xander smiled back as he headed to sit down a seat away from Buffy. "Hey, guys. Hallway traffic was horrible. Mr. Ross took away my granola bar because he said snack time finished exactly 24 seconds ago. Which sucks because I was hungry and that was my favourite kind of granola bar." He told them, but when the only responses he got was stares, he sighed and plopped his bags down beside his chair.

"So. Any end-of-the-world situations upcoming?" He asked them. "Nope, we're all good to go for the next day or two." Buffy told him, and Xander nodded, making a small _ah _sound.

"So, what's the topic you guys were conversing upon before I sauntered in?" He asked them, priding himself for using 'big' words. Buffy opened her mouth to speak, but Giles spoke first. "Oh, we were just discussing basic human anatomy." He told Xander, shooting a short look at Buffy that practically said _follow my lead._

"Oh, ya, gotta love human anatomy, what with its blood and bones and completely singular heart and all." Buffy added, stressing the word singular.

Xander made a face that practically said I'm screwed on it, then mentally slapped himself and made his form appear to be nonchalant. "Oh, ya, got love blood and bones. Very important in your life, I can tell," he said avoiding the heart detail. Buffy sighed loudly. "Okay, cut the crap Xander. How many hearts do you have?" She demanded.

"What?" Xander exclaimed, getting out of his chair for effect. "Um, why, how many do you have?" He asked stupidly.

"Certainly not two," she told him, narrowing her eyes. Xander scoffed, but it was far to high pitched for it to be normal. Then he cleared his throat, opening his mouth to make some lame, useless comeback, but Buffy and Giles were giving him a 'we will know if your lying' look. Xander sighed, knowing he wasn't going to get out of this one, and lowered his head.

"God..." He trailed, rubbing his forehead and pulling his hair back in the process. "Would you guys hate me if I said two? Because if I'm being honest here, having only one heart is so last week." Giles and Buffy stared, slightly open-mouthed, at Xander. Nobody said anything.

"Wow," Giles breathed out, stepping back a bit. "So Willow was right." Xander rubbed his face. "Crap, Willow knows too? She is the one person I really didn't want to have know about this, because then she would pull the whole 'friends don't keeps secrets' speech, and I would really have rather had avoided that."

Silence overtook the room again, and Xander took a few steps back and started to slightly pace, shuffling his feet around in a designated spot. Buffy and Giles just stared. "What are you?" Buffy asked. Xander froze. "I don't know," he told her honestly, but his voice was quiet. Giles rubbed his eyes under his glasses and turned away, walking over to his desk. Xander watched him intently, and Buffy never took her eyes off of Xander.

"Are you Xander, Xander?" Giles asked the young man, leaning on his own desk. Xander followed Giles up to his desk and Buffy pursued, watching intently as Xander's expression read that of a severely stressed and slightly worried person, not the lively, sarcastic Xander she knew.

"Ya, I was born with two hearts. Never made any sense to me either. Can't even go to the hospital if I ever get a chest injury or I'll probably be dragged to Area 51 and dissected. That's not exactly how I plan to spend my Thursdays." Xander attempted to joke, but it came out flat. Oh god, Xander thought. I'm a freak and now they know it.

"Oh, really?" Buffy inquired. "Tell me something only Xander would know." Xander thought for a moment. "Um, I was possessed by a soldier and a hyena, I hate Angel though I'm sure that everybody knows that, my best friend Jesse was killed by a vampire and that was the first vamp-related incident I'd encountered." He told them. Buffy frowned, thinking, and Giles was rubbing his chin. Buffy looked to Giles, shrugging. "Okay," she started. "Okay, so you've got two hearts. That means that you're not human, right?" She asked, turning back to Xander.

Xander sighed. "Look, can we not do this? I didn't want you guys to know for the obvious reason that it's inhuman, so can we just drop this? I don't know what I am, but I know who I am, and I'm the same old Xander, okay? So could we not?" He practically begged.

Buffy looked down, but Giles stared at Xander, trying to figure this out. Giles didn't know how this was possible. If Xander was Xander and not some doppelgänger, then he wasn't human. So just what was he? Did it make a difference?

Xander sighed, then looked at the clock. "Well, this has been fun, but class will be starting in 10, so I'd better get going. And for the record," he said, grabbing his bag and standing up, already walking to the door sluggishly, "I'm not planning on taking over the world or killing the president anything." And with that, he left the library, leaving Buffy and Giles to stare after him in disbelief and confusion.


End file.
